


Adjustments

by cappynom



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dragon Age Spoilers, F/M, M/M, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser DLC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23830768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cappynom/pseuds/cappynom
Summary: This a collection of short stories following the period after Trespasser for my Inquisitors and their lovers. It's going to tell their stories of their adjustments to their new lives along with the struggles they're facing from their now missing left arm. None of these stories are connected to each other and each chapter will be a new short story of a different character and couple. Though I might add new chapters continuing on for some characters if I decide I want to further their story a bit.
Relationships: Blackwall | Thom Rainier/Female Inquisitor, Blackwall/Female Cadash, Female Adaar/Iron Bull, Female Adaar/Josephine Montilyet, Female Lavellan/Cullen Rutherford, Female Lavellan/Solas, Fen'Harel/Female Lavellan, Male Lavellan/Cassandra Pentaghast, Male Lavellan/Dorian Pavus
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Adjustments

**Author's Note:**

> Please note this is my first attempt at fanfic so I'm rather nervous about writing for these canon characters. I would also like to pretense that I've just recently been trying to get myself back into writing after a 4 year long break so I'm rusty. But I hope you enjoy nonetheless!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tarynn Cadash - female dwarf rogue, dual daggers, romanced Blackwall(Thom Rainier), disbanded the Inquisition

The Exalted Council felt like it had been years ago with everything that had been going on around her. So much had changed in such a small amount of time. They had learned so much yet so little about Solas and his plans. Tarynn often found herself up late lost so deeply in thought the only way she’d come to bed was by a gentle hand from Thom. She had never believed she would be the type of woman to fall so helplessly in love with a person that she sometimes found herself relying too heavily on them just to get by. It was easy to keep her mind off the impending doom she felt during the day. So much still needed to be done. After learning of spies in the Inquisition, Tarynn made the decision to disband the Inquisition. It had served its purpose and fixed the breach. And maybe it was selfish of her, but she wanted some time to herself. The past three years were nonstop for her. How she managed to find the time to fall in love in the first place still evaded her. Yet, here she was. So helplessly in love with Thom Rainier.

The two had decided to in a sort to retire after the Exalted Council. With the help of her good friend Varric, she had a place she could call home in Kirkwall. The city was finally starting to get back on its feet thanks to its new Viscount. After the meetings were over, Tarynn had gone to Skyhold to get the few belongings she had and she moved into the quaint home that Varric had gifted her. It was a lot bigger than she was expecting, but she wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. It took a few months for her life to calm down. There was a bit of Inquisition business she had to tend to before she could really settle down with Thom. But as the days went by, she found herself with less and less to do. With this newfound time, she would wander about trying to find something to occupy that time with.

Tarynn had always been the type of person who needed something to do. She could never just sit around. There were times she felt like she would try her hand in mercenary work. It was something that would get her out in the world again and it wasn’t as demanding as being the Inquisitor was. But thanks to the anchor, she decided against that. It had claimed her arm, her fighting days were over. That was something she had yet to really sit down and think about. She was still adjusting to what her life was like now that she was missing an arm. She put on the bravest face she could muster when she was around her friends and others, but Thom had seen the nights she sat awake crying in frustration. He was never a man of many words, but his presence was more than enough to comfort her in those times. He offered her help whenever he could, but he never overstepped. She really had no clue what her life would be like without him.

Tonight was one of those nights that she found herself awake while Thom had gone to bed hours before. She was getting antsy. She needed to get back out and do what she was best at. She was a Carta dwarf and spent all her early years fighting. She hadn’t even looked at her daggers until that night. They were a beautiful set that Thom had surprised her with on her birthday during their fight with Corypheus. She had thought no one knew about it when he showed up with the most beautiful pair of daggers she had ever seen. They were simple in their design, but she could admire each curve of the blade and hilt. They were perfectly balanced and perfect for her. She had never used another set since she got those, but now they just sat in a box, unused. She hated seeing them go to waste.

She chewed on her lip anxiously. There was no reason for her to be as nervous as she was, yet there she was. The box was tucked away in a drawer yet she felt fear she hadn’t in some time just from looking at that drawer. Tarynn took a breath and opened the drawer, pulling out the wooden box gingerly. She held her breath while she gently placed the box on the desk with a soft thud. Her hazel eyes stared intently. She had faced down dragons and one of the original darkspawn by herself, why was she so afraid of a box? Feeling frustration bubble within her, she flipped the box open and pulled the two daggers out with her one hand. Gently she put one on the desk while she gave the other a once over. She had almost forgotten how beautiful they were. It felt so good to be holding it. She wrapped her fingers around the hilt, holding it firm in her grasp. This felt right. This was who she was. She was a dual wielding rogue who was really damn confident in her skills when it came to dagger play. This was what she was good at. This was what she was meant to do. Yet, how was she going to use them both with only one hand?

Her excitement diminished in that exact moment. Her heart sank and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Tarynn closed her eyes tightly refusing to feel so weak and useless. This wasn’t who she was. She didn’t save the world to let this stop her. She wasn’t done. She still had so much to offer. Her brows knit together in frustration, her grip on her dagger tightening, turning her knuckles white. She would find a way around this. She wasn’t out of the game yet.

With newfound determination, Tarynn pushed herself to her feet and took a few steps away from the desk. She slid her foot back into her fighting stance. She could do this. She wasn’t useless. She wasn’t helpless. She was still that strong bad ass dwarf that first stepped foot in New Haven after the sky blew up. Nothing had changed. She was stronger now. She was going to do this. Tarynn twisted the dagger in her hand, holding the blade back as she lifted her other arm out of habit. “Okay…” She breathed and slashed forward. She found herself easily slipping back into the dance that she was so used to. A jab here, a step there. She was finding her rhythm again and damn did it feel good. She found herself focusing entirely on the one dagger, still moving her other arm as if it still held some use to her at this point. Everything felt fine, until she lashed out with her left arm that slipped out from under her sleeve. The sight of it caught her off guard, pulling her attention from her next step. In an instant, the dance she was elegantly performing with her dagger was cut off and she toppled to the ground.

On her hand and knees, Tarynn stared in disbelief at the ground. She had no clue what had just happened. She felt so in tune with herself and the fighting style she had honed over the years. But it had brought her back to a time mentally where she didn’t feel so useless and broken. Seeing her lack of an arm caused it all to come crashing down. Her fantasy was just that, a fantasy. She would never be able to fight again. Hot tears spilled from her eyes and down her cheeks as both rage and sorrow overcame her. She unleashed a primal cry before she threw the dagger as hard as she could across the room. It hit the wood of a bookshelf with a thunk and stuck there. Tarynn toppled over to her side, curling into herself as the sobs overcame her.

She hadn’t noticed the sound of footsteps right before she fell and she didn’t hear them approach her while she cried. Very gently, Thom placed a hand on her shoulder. “My lady…” Thom spoke so softly that Tarynn barely heard it. As a response, she curled into herself a bit more. With a soft sigh, Thom gathered Tarynn and pulled her into him. She buried her face into his shoulder as he held her. Tarynn cried until she couldn’t anymore. The tears eventually stopped. She found herself staring at the ground, her head still rested on Thom’s shoulder and his strong arms still held her tightly. Thom brushed his hand over her hair gently.

“You don’t have to tell me, but perhaps if you did, it would make you feel better and maybe I can help.” Thom’s voice sounded quietly. Tarynn remained quiet for a moment before she took a shaky breath. “I’m useless.” She barely managed to choke out the words as tears threatened to spill. She closed her eyes tightly, refusing to cry again. “I can’t fight anymore. It was the only thing I was good at. But I’m done for. Just a broken relic for people to gawk over when they see me.” She fell silent again. Thom thought for a moment before he spoke. “No you’re not and you know it. You did a lot more while in the Inquisition besides fight. You’ve come a long way. You aren’t just some Carta thug like you seem to think. You’re the damned Inquisitor and you didn’t get that title because you can use a dagger.” Thom’s words stung a bit but he was right. She had always viewed herself as nothing more than some thug for hire. That’s how she had spent most of her life anyway. It was hard to not see herself as anything else.

Tarynn didn’t reply, being pulled into her thoughts for a moment. Thom took this chance to speak again. “You aren’t broken and you aren’t useless. You’ve been given another challenge that you will overcome. It will just take some adjustments. Look here,” Thom grabbed her chin and guided her to look at him. “You are the strongest and bravest woman I have ever met. You’ve handled so much on your own but now you don’t have to. I’ve got your back every step of the way. It’s never too late to learn something new. Perhaps it’s time you try your hand at a longsword.” He offered her a small smile while they looked at each other. It took a second before his words sank in, causing a smile to tug at her lips. “If you can do it, I’m sure it’ll be a piece of cake for me.” She teased him lightly causing a hearty laugh to escape him. “Perhaps it’s time to respond to that letter from Dagna. I’m sure she’s got something worth while for you.” Thom spoke, gesturing towards the desk. A few weeks ago, a letter from Dagna had come in. It was an offer for a prototype prosthetic arm for Tarynn to use in combat if needed. It had come with a bunch of technical talk that made no sense to Tarynn, but from the sounds of it, Dagna had come up with something that would blow Tarynn’s mind. Dagna even promised that her days of dual wielding daggers were not over.

Thinking it over, Tarynn nodded her head. That sounded like a great idea. “I’ll write her in the morning.” She said absently before looking back up at Thom. “Thank you. For everything. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” Thom cupped his hand on Tarynn’s cheek, smiling at her. “You don’t ever have to think about that. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.” Tarynn chuckled before closing the distance between them, their lips meeting in a sweet kiss. “I love you, Thom.” Tarynn spoke once they parted. “And I love you, my lady.”


End file.
